I want to get a red dot for my SBH Hunter 44 mag but I have 1 inch rings. I could buy extra rings and get 30mm rings but I see Midway sells a 1 inch Ultra Dot.

I also notice on this forum that most mentions of the Ultra Dot speak of 30mm sights.

I assume there is an advantage to the larger size tube, but other than that, does anyone have any experience with the 1 inch tube?

Will it stand up to 44 mag recoil?

Will it fit in the spacing for the Ruger factory rings?

I have a 1" UltraDot and have had no problem with it's size. The benefit of the red dot sight is the ability to shoot with both eyes open. When you shoot with both eyes, the tube dissolves into the periphery and you have unlimited field of view. If you close your off eye and look into the sight like a magnified scope you might benefit from a larger tube. If your 1" rings are in as new (resale-able) condition Ruger will exchange 30mm rings with you.

Mine sat on top of my Bisley 45 Colt for years until my eyes no longer were able to "see" a well defined dot. I load that gun to the hilt and it held up just fine. I also had it on my SRH 480 for a bit.

It will fit within the factory ring spacing.

I have a 1" UltraDot and I like it. It's a little too bright right at dusk, but is tough and holds zero. Mine is mounted on a Weigand Rail.

I can vouch for them being tough. I have had a 30MM Ultra dot on my 475L BFR and shot full power loads with no problems. I have also used them on 44 mags and 357 mags. I have two, one standard and a Matchdot 6. They are both reliable in my opinion. I think the 30MM tube is easier to acquire faster in a hunting situation but, with practice there probably is no real measurable advantage.

I mounted my first 1" Ultra Dot on a S&W 629 .44 Magnum in 1990, and it has been problem free since. I have since mounted another on a Redhawk, and others on smaller caliber guns, also without problems.

I was given a 6-1/2" Contender barrel about 13 years ago, and mounted a 1" Ultra Dot on it, and the battery kept popping loose inside it. I replaced the red dot with a 2X Leupold, and mounted the Ultra Dot on another barrel. It wasn't damaged, but simply couln't withstand the recoil inertia of that 45-70.

Personally, I prefer the 1" over the 30 mm because it is more compact.

I'll add a little contrast to the topic: I bought my first Ultra Dot a few years ago (Match Dot)(Correction - mine is a Ultra Dot 30). I mounted it on my 475 Linebaugh inside some Leupold 30mm dual dovetail rings and it tanked before the first cylinder full of ammo.

I sent it back to Ultra Dot and they repaired and returned promptly. It's had a couple hundred rounds under its belt since then with no issues. I agree with it being too bright in low light on the lowest setting.

Thank you guys.

I have both 1" and 30mm UltraDots. Given my preference I will take the 30, but really not much difference in them. Both are tough and work well

I have the 30 mm Match Dot on 6 revolvers, no issues at all

I run the 1" for the same reason as Ken (500WE). I find it more compact and mine's not given me any problems to date.

I run a 30mm MatchDot on top of my SBH Hunter with the Weigand Rail and 3 30mm Weigand rings. It has held up to close to 1000 full power loads and has not given me a lick of problem. The rings have not let the dot move one iota and the dot has never failed to maintain zero.

I prefer the Weigand rail over the standard Ruger rings as it allows the tube to sit a little farther back and not make the gun quite so nose heavy.

While I have not had any particular issues with the MatchDot being too bright in low light, I find that when things really start to get dark the 2moa dot the MatchDot offers tends to provide less overall light making it easier. It also makes a nice fine aiming point when doing range work at longer distances.